News

12/05/2010:
Philippine Fabric and Fashion, Paintings and Sculpture Showcased in Embassy May Exhibits

12 MAY 2010, WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Philippine Embassy will feature Filipino fabric and fashion as well as paintings and sculptures in two separate exhibits that will highlight the country’s diversity and the rich heritage and traditions of Filipinos.

Renowned fashion designer Cora Manimbo’s works will be exhibited from May 18 – 21. Manimbo is noted for her finely crafted kimono blouses, shawls and gowns that are described as “virtual artworks with meticulous embroideries, beadwork and hand-painted accents.”

Manimbo’s designs are anchored on the “richness of materials found throughout the archipelago – pinya fibers from Red Pineapple, cotton yarn of Abel Iloco, T’boli hand-woven Tinalak, and banana plant fiber Sinamay.”

Sculptures and paintings will take centerstage at the Philippine Embassy’s Carlos P. Romulo Hall from May 26 – 31 with the joint exhibit by National Artist Abdulmari Asia Imao and his son Jose Mari Imao.

Sculptor Abdulmari Asia Imao was conferred the National Artist award for sculpture, the first Filipino Muslim to be honored with the distinction. A native of Sulu, Abdulmari Imao is a sculptor, painter, photographer, ceramist, documentary film maker, cultural researcher, writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and culture.

Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been “popularized and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other peoples as original Filipino creations.”

His U.P. art education introduced him to Filipino masters like Guillermo Tolentino and Napoleon Abueva, who were among his mentors. With his large-scale sculptures and monuments of Muslim and regional heroes and leaders gracing selected sites from Batanes to Tawi-tawi, Imao has helped develop among cultural groups trust and confidence necessary for the building of a more just and humane society.

Abdulmari’s son Jose Mari will likewise showcase his paintings.

More popularly known as Joey, is a noted muralist and realist, he received his art training from his parents but pursued dentistry at the University of the Philippines and Post Graduate training for Advance Education in General Dentistry at the Eastman School of Dentistry, University of Rochester New York and General Dentistry Residency at the Rochester General Hospital.

His first major commissioned work as an artist was a series of portraits of the Senate Presidents of the Republic of the Philippines. He has likewise made several murals for different government agencies and a number of portraits for prominent businessmen. END.

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